Sassafras albidum
Sassafras · also White sassafras, Red sassafras, Silky sassafras
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Sassafras albidum is a decorative deciduous tree distinctive for its slender trunk and variable, often three-lobed foliage that turns vivid orange and red in the fall. Its dark-blue drupes are held on decorative red stalks, providing food for various wildlife. All parts of the plant are aromatic, and it is tolerant of drought and heat, making it an attractive landscape choice for eastern North America.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 1990.03%—11 in
- 560.03%6.9 yr3.0 in
- 550.05%5.0 yr2.4 in
- 350.01%—3.1 in
- 260.00%—7.9 in
- 230.03%5.3 yr2.0 in
- 170.01%—2.3 in
- 150.01%6.8 yr9.8 in
- 50.00%1.3 yr2.0 in
- 30.00%—1.6 in
- 20.01%—0.8 in
- 10.01%—2.0 in
- 10.00%—2.0 in
- 10.00%——
- 10.00%—2.0 in
- 10.00%—3.0 in
- 10.00%—2.0 in
Traits
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 50–80 ft
- Canopy spread
- 50 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Drought tolerance
- High
- Wildlife value
- High
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 6.2 in, mean 9.5 in, 90th percentile 21 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
- Mississippi lowland forests
- New England-Acadian forests